First seat risers placed in new stadium

The seating bowl for the 200 level of the new Dynamo Stadium
began to take shape on Tuesday, as construction crews began to place the
precast concrete risers on the steel structure in the stadium’s southwest
corner.

The risers were placed on the steel by crane and then welded
into position in the first of 10 areas throughout the stadium.

“We’ve just started the first phase of the precast risers
here in Area F,” said Sean Crozier of the Manhattan Construction Company. “We
anticipate finishing that up at the end of this week. … We should take about a
week or a week and a half in each area, but we’ll work from two different
starting spots, working counterclockwise.”

While the southwest corner is getting its concrete risers at
the moment – Crozier said the west midfield and the northeast corner are next – work continues in different phases on the other areas throughout the
stadium, with steel still being placed on the east side. In the next two
months, however, the concrete risers will fill the stadium’s 200 level in all
areas.

Meanwhile, the west side concourse is starting to take
shape, with concession stands, the press box, and a media workroom at the suite
level already being formed by cinder blocks underneath the steel of the 200
level. As work continues on the west side, the first stadium suites and the VIP
seating section are already beginning to become visible.

“These are great times, and we look forward to watching it
all come together in the next eight months,” said Dynamo president Chris
Canetti. “It’s the first week of September, and about six weeks ago we saw the
first steel over in that [southwest] corner, so you can see what kind of
significant progress has been made.”

With current season ticket holders choosing their seats in
the new stadium this week, Canetti takes clear pride in the sightlines he
expects to be available for all fans come May 2012.

“As we start to see the shape of it in real life and compare
it to the renderings and the drawings, we’re more and more impressed every time
about how tight the stadium is going to be and how close people are going to be
to the action,” Canetti said. “You can see where the last row of the stadium is
or the front row of the 200 level, and there’s not going to be bad seat in the
house whatsoever.”

Fans keeping a close eye on the proceedings can expect to
see the stadium’s exterior begin to take shape in October, as Crozier said
Manhattan Construction will begin to place the stadium roofs.

“After we get the precast set, we’re going to start to
install the big canopies that go out and over the precast,” Crozier said. “That’ll
actually give you your roof feel and cover for the stadium. … It’s a big
undertaking. They’re large pieces of steel that come from the back of the
stadium and extend out about three rows from the field. They’re in individual
trusses that come through on a crane and are set.”